Semiconductors have been continuously scaled down in size to increase performance and reduce power consumption. This has led to the advent of more efficient, scalable electronic devices and increased user experiences. However, this has also increased the complexity of device manufacture. One area of challenge faced by manufacturers is managing the epitaxial (epi) merge that occurs between adjacently placed fins spaced apart within a substrate. Epi merge occurs when diamond shaped crystals intersect one another due to growth of an epitaxial layer. In certain instances, epi merge is required to achieve sufficient source/drain epitaxial growth to merge adjacent semiconductor fins, i.e., fins belonging to a common device within the semiconductor. However, such growth can also cause undesired merging of adjacent semiconductor fins. For example, epi merge can lead to shorting of a p-type or n-type source/drain or crossing of fins across devices, i.e., n-p boundary breach.
To address this issue, manufacturers often employ a spacer on the fin sides to limit epi growth. While the spacers may prevent epi merge by serving as a barrier between respective fins, they also limit epitaxial growth within a device which limits device performance.
A need therefore exists for a device and related method capable of preventing epi merge between adjacent devices of a semiconductor while enhancing epi merge within said devices.